Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in California make a median of $52,950 a year, or about $25.46 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $83K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.14), so that salary is closer to $49,887 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,471/month, about 71.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across California. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $53K get you in California?
About coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
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What this looks like in California
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders pay in California tracks closely to the national median, $53K locally vs. $48K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,471/month, which is 68.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 6% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.14), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, California
Entry-level coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $53K. Top earners bring in $83K or more, a $46K spread from bottom to top.
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary by metro in California
22 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | $61K | +16% | 50 |
| Vallejo | $60K | +13% | 110 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $59K | +11% | 510 |
| Salinas | $58K | +10% | 50 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $58K | +10% | 1,380 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $58K | +10% | 140 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $58K | +9% | 930 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $56K | +5% | 60 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $55K | +4% | 4,580 |
| Redding | $53K | +1% | 50 |
| Chico | $52K | -2% | 30 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $51K | -3% | 680 |
| Stockton-Lodi | $51K | -4% | 200 |
| Modesto | $51K | -4% | 150 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | $50K | -6% | 80 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | $49K | -7% | 230 |
| Merced | $49K | -8% | 60 |
| Fresno | $49K | -8% | 310 |
| Yuba City | $48K | -9% | 30 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $48K | -9% | 1,210 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $48K | -9% | 230 |
| Visalia | $47K | -12% | 80 |
Showing 1–10 of 22 metros
Compare to other states
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Frequently asked questions
Can a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in California?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $53K, rent takes 68.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,471/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders in California?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,207/month. At HUD’s $2,471/month FMR, rent would take 112% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tender a high-paying job in California?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $53K locally vs. $48K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does California compare to the national average for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders?
California pays $53K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s +10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.14), the purchasing-power equivalent is $50K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make in California?
The median is $52,950 a year, that works out to about $25 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,790, and experienced coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $82,640. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $53K enough to live in California?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,593/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,471/month, which eats 68.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary go in California?
California has a Regional Price Parity of 106.14 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary is worth about $49,887 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.